Page 36 - CCD Magazine-Spring 2019

Because Everything Matters by Sean O’Keefe
UCHealth wants to help people live extraordinary lives. Today, they are meeting that mission through an invigorated commitment to learning, healing, and discovery
in their people and by improving the parameters of personal connections between patients and providers in their facilities. One of
the best examples of embracing these objectives is coming in the form of a sleek, new medical
office building currently under construction in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood. Located at the intersection of 1st and Cook, the five-story glass jewel box will present a clean professional image of healthcare in a sharp modern building designed to elevate its surroundings. “Presently, we have
a significant percentage of patients driving out to University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, from all over metro-Denver,” says Robin Levy, Business Executive for UCHealth. “This centralized location will be
a lot more convenient option for many.”
Perhaps more importantly, when it opens in the spring of 2020 it’s likely to totally change many people’s perception of healthcare. The 89,000-SF facility will be home to
a combination of specialty- care providers, University of Colorado School of Medicine faculty, a full-
service ambulatory surgery center with state-of-the-art imaging facilities, and a comprehensive oncology center. Despite housing almost everything short of a bed to spend the night in, the UCHealth Cherry Creek Medical Center is intended to feel more welcoming than imposing, more a part of the community than not. The building’s design comes as part of a global trend in the changing landscape of healthcare architecture where an investment in progress comes
at a calculated cost that makes sense on a ledger that considers more than economics. “Healthcare providers are looking to break away from the campus model,” says Robert Jacobs, Principal, and Founder of Brookhaven Capital Partners, the development team behind the project. “Ease of access, an enhanced experience, and increased choices are
all fundamental expectations consumers have of basically everything these days, healthcare included. As an investment strategy, our expectation is to deliver all
of that in a lower-cost, more convenient environment that is home to world-class care.”
After acquiring the parcel and determining the investment direction Jacobs initiated the design conversation around the future medical office building
with Davis Partnership Architects. Jacobs and the team at Davis Partnership, a local firm with strong healthcare experience, worked on developing a design specifically aligned with leading-edge thinking in progressive healthcare.
“A commitment to care, convenience, and personal connections define the future of healthcare”
36 | Colorado Construction & Design